August 15, 2013

Matt Johnson says the plan is for him to practice Monday,
now that he has been out two weeks since suffering a “stress reaction” in his
foot in the preseason opener. But by then he will have missed a third preseason
game, leaving the fourth-round pick from 2012 only two games left to show
something.

“It sucks. I mean, I had to do it all year last year. I
didn’t want to do it again,” he said of rehabilitation work from injury. Last
year, hamstring problems kept him out all year. He played in only one preseason
game.

This year, the injury happened in the first game, although
Johnson had been feeling discomfort in his ankle the week of the game. A stress
reaction is damage to a bone short of a break or stress fracture, usually from
overwork.

“I thought it was just a sore ankle or something like that,”
Johnson said. “I felt it the whole game and in warm-ups and stuff. The whole
pushing off, and that tackle, I think I heard it pop. But I don’t think it was
anything more substantial than what it was. It was just kind of building on top
of it.”

Johnson said he had been checked out in the days ahead of
the game.

“My mobility and stuff was good. I thought it was just a
sore ankle,” he said. “When they said it wasn’t much, I just tried to play
through.”

Johnson, asked if he simply overworks himself, said, “I
don’t think so. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know. I’m just trying to stay
positive. I don’t think it’s too much work. Maybe last year with my hamstrings,
I was trying to come back too soon, but this is totally different. It just kind
of happened.

“I’ve been doing practices just like everybody else. That’s
the frustrating thing. I’m not doing anything extra than anybody else.”